Rescuers described how the child's grandmother, Pan Guofen, apparently used her body to protect the child against a large concrete slab, forming an arch by kneeling on all fours, her hands clenched into fists.

The child was safely ensconced under the arch but her grandmother's head was crushed by a brick and she did not survive, the reports said.

Rescuers recover baby shielded in landslide by mother Pan Guofen.

Photo: CCTV via YouTube

Torrential rain has triggered floods and landslides in Sichuan and other parts of China in recent days.